Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Disabling Startup Applications and Services for Troubleshooting

Slow startup and errors experienced during startup can sometimes be related to applications and services run at startup. When you believe that an application loaded at startup is causing problems with your computer, you can disable the program from starting and reboot your computer. If the problem is no longer present, you might have identified the problem and can remedy it by permanently disabling the automatic startup of the program. If the problem still occurs, you can try disabling other startup applications to see if this resolves the problem.

You can disable startup applications by following these steps:

1. Open the System Configuration utility. On the Startup tab, all applications that run automatically at startup are listed by name, command path, and registry location.
2. Clear the check box next to any application that you do not want to load at startup. Make sure you only disable programs that you've identified as potential problems, and do so only if you know how they are used by the operating system.
3. Click OK. You must restart your computer to check the changes, so if you are prompted to restart the system, click Yes. Otherwise, restart manually. Repeat this procedure as necessary to identify the program causing the system problems. If you can't identify an application as the cause of the problem, a Windows component, service, or device driver might be causing the problem you are experiencing.

If disabling a startup application resolves the problem, you can then permanently disable the startup application or check with the application vendor to see if an updated executable is available.

You can troubleshoot problems with system services in a similar way:

1. Open the System Configuration utility. The Services tab displays a list of all services installed on the computer, the origin of each service, and the state of each service, such as Running or Stopped.
2. Clear the check box next to any service that you do not want to run at startup. Make sure you only disable those services that you've identified as potential problems, and do so only if you know how they are used by the operating system.
3. Click OK. You must restart the computer to check the changes, so if you are prompted to restart the system, click Yes. Otherwise, restart the computer manually. Repeat this procedure as necessary to identify the service causing the problem. If you can't identify a service as the cause of the problem, a Windows component, startup application, or device driver might be causing the problem you are experiencing.

If disabling a service resolves the problem, you can then permanently disable the service or check with the service vendor to see if an updated executable is available for the service.